1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to client manager programs for use with wireless local area network (LAN) access devices and, more specifically, to client manager programs that facilitate automatic connection by wireless LAN access devices to wireless ports of LANs which require different security identifiers or different connection protocols, or to wireless ports of different LANs. In particular, the present invention relates to client manager programs that automatically initiate communication of a wireless LAN access device with a plurality of different, predetermined wireless LAN ports.
2. Background of Related Art
In the state of the art, computers are becoming increasingly portable. As such, computers are often used in a variety of different locations. Conventionally, computers have communicated with various external accessories, other computers, computer networks, and the like by way of so-called “hard connections,” such as wires. The use of conventional hard connections is, however, somewhat undesirable, as the time required to connect two or more devices, as well as the physical connections between devices, diminish the portability of state of the art computers.
To further increase portability, wireless type communication ports have been developed. A wireless communication port of a first device, such as a computer, may communicate with a wireless communication port of one or more other devices, such as printers, scanners, other computers, and the ports of various types of networks.
An exemplary type of wireless communication device is a wireless LAN access device, which facilitates communication between a portable computer and a wireless port of a LAN. By way of example, a wireless LAN access device of a portable computer may be linked with a LAN by way of a single wireless communication port or by a number of different, complementary wireless ports at a variety of locations. Each such wireless LAN port is hard-linked (e.g., by wiring) to the LAN. The wireless LAN access device of a computer may, in turn, communicate with a specific type of wireless LAN port by way of electromagnetic (e.g., infrared (IR), radiofrequency (RF), etc.) signals.
Typically, a computer includes a client manager program stored in memory thereof for each type of external device with which the computer may wirelessly connect or otherwise communicate. Thus, a separate client manager program is typically required for each type of wireless communication port with which the computer is configured to connect. In order to establish wireless communication between a wireless LAN access device of a computer and a wireless LAN port of a particular LAN, a specific client manager program must be executed to initiate a connection protocol acceptable to the wireless LAN port. Thus, the user of a portable computer must be able to identify the wireless communication port through which a connection to the specified LAN will be made, then select the appropriate client manager program.
As a single LAN may include a number of different types of wireless LAN ports, a user may be required to choose, from a number of different client manager programs, the appropraite client manager program for establishing a wireless connection with a particular wireless LAN port of the LAN to which access is desired. If the wireless LAN ports with which the computer can communicate are not readily visible, the process of selecting the appropriate client manager may be one of trial-and-error, wasting the computer user's time.
Once a communication link has been established between a computer and a particular wireless LAN port, one or more security identifiers (e.g., user names, passwords, etc.) may be required to provide the computer with access to the LAN.
Accordingly, there is a need for a wireless connection program that facilitates access to computer networks by way of wireless communication ports at a variety of different locations without requiring a computer user to select and employ a specific client manager for each individual location.